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riO Mr . Frend on a recent NoiUe of Mm in the Britifh Critic .
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very silly persons . Why the Critic should havfe expressed his contethpt for Monotheism and Monofcheists in these terms , will be shewn hereafter ;
for the present I shall he content with proving that Monotheism is not enly not Reserving of this ecwttempt , but on reconsidering * the subject , the British Critic himself \ Vill be sorry for the terms he has used .
Monotheism is another expression for Unitarianistn , the former expressing the doctrine in terms derived from the Greek ; the latter is a term derived from the Latin , both implying the belief and worship of one God alone . The Greek words whence the
term Monotheism is derived , are monos and theos , or mono and theo , monos or mono meaning one , and theos or theo meaning Gfod . We find the latter terms mono and theo used
very early under the Christian dis- > pens at ion , and by an authority which cannot be called in question . Our Saviour ratifies Monotheism in these
words , matthevv iv . 10 : " Thou shalfc worship the Lord thy God , and him only shalt thou serve * " In the Greek the word translated only is inono , and in connexion with the first sentence it
implies , Thott shalt serve God only , mono , theo . The same precept is repeated in the same words in Luke iv . 8 , Thus our Saviour himself is the vindicator of Monotheism ) and was himself a Monothcist * The same
terms , mono , theo , m the same sense , , applied to only one God , are used by Paul in Romans ix . 27 , 1 Tim . i , 17 , and in Jade 25 ; and no one who reads these passages can doubt that Paul and Jude were vindicators of
Monotheism or Monotheists . I might adduce several other passages from the New Testament , where monas , in different cases * is applied to theos in its cases ^ but the above are quite
sufficient for my purpose , and will prove at any rate , that the British Critic was very unguarded in his language , when he classed the believers in monotheism with persons who deny that two and two make four .
I can have no objection to the use of the terms Monotheism and Monotheist instead of Unitarianisifr and Unitarian ; for my Saviour was a Monotheiat or Unitarian * But the British Critic is not awaie that the t <* jm Monotheifct or Unitarian ia one
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that his 6 ttrn sec * Mys daifh to ; and the very excellent and learned L » ord Bishop of Chester , in a late publican tioh on Jo § ifi * $ € 3 bspel , which , whatever we may think of the arguments ^
deserves great credit for its liberality , questions our exclusive right to the title of Unitarian . He is * according to his own account , a Monotbeist oir Unitarian , an advocate for Mumotheism or Unitariaaism .
He has expressed a wisli that \ v& should be considered always under the title of Humanitarians . I am glad to see this contest , ayafiy £ § ns $ Se figorot-< riv . It is a direct avowal on the part of the Bishop , that Unitarian ism i& founded < ra truth . His Lordship , in
perfect consistency with the first of the Thirty-nine Articles * p ^ ts in his claim to the title of Unitarian ; for it savs , " There is onlv one God / ' I rejoice that he sees the matter so clearly ia its true lights There is only one God . — -This is the language of the Old and the New Testament .
To believe thifc j ^ reat important truth , constitutes a man an Unitarian - If a person professing this faith should unite with It eir ^ unastanees Which , ia
our apprehension , clash with thi » cfeed , die content is not on the creed itself acknowledged by both parties ^ but on the circumstance ^ and these should be examined with Christian
charity on both sides . The Lord Bishop of Che&ter tvould , im retaining his tight to the title o £ Unitarian , give us the title of Huma-Hitariansy a term expressive he thiftks of our opinions , % vithout infringing on the claim of both panics to the title of Unitarians But to this we cannot
accede ; for the term Humankamii refers only to our Saviour j Whereas we do not admit that aay person i& God berfide tte God and Father of our Lord Jesud CJliridt ; and we de » y tha « 5 any such persou as ia termed tlw > Holy Ghost s is God . Many Unitarians believe that Cbrisi had a *»
existence prior to his coming i ^ io ihig world , who of course etmnm itcccxle % o the use of this term Humanitarian : and in faet the term Umtaritm
is so plainly expressive of the belief in one only God , thafc we c&fltfot change it for another ; and the term Trinitarian i $ as aptly fitted for those who maintain a modification in theitf creed of the unity of G ^ d .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Dec. 2, 1824, page 710, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2531/page/6/
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